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US pulls envoy out of Syria over security concerns

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration pulled its ambassador
out of Syria over security concerns, blaming President Bashar
Assad's regime for the threats that made it no longer safe for him
to remain.

Ambassador Robert Ford returned to Washington this weekend after
the U.S. received "credible threats against his personal safety in
Syria," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Monday. Ford
has been the subject of several incidents of intimidation by
pro-government thugs, and enraged Syrian authorities with his
forceful defense of peaceful protests and harsh critique of a
government crackdown that has now claimed more than 3,000 lives.

"We hope that the Syrian regime will end its incitement
campaign against Ambassador Ford," Toner said. "At this point, we
can't say when he will return to Syria."

Toner said the U.S. embassy will remain open in Damascus and
that the threats were specifically directed toward Ford. His return
is conditional on a U.S. "assessment of Syrian regime-led
incitement and the security situation on the ground," Toner said.

Ford was the first American ambassador to Syria since 2005.
President George W. Bush's administration withdrew a full-time
ambassador from Syria over charges the country was involved in
terrorism and the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister
Rafik Hariri. Syria has denied any involvement.

The Obama administration decided to return an ambassador to
Syria earlier this year in an effort to persuade Syria to change
its policies regarding Israel, Lebanon, Iraq and support for
extremist groups. Syria is designated a "state sponsor of
terrorism" by the State Department.

Although Ford's appointment in January, while the Senate was out
of session, was originally criticized by some Republicans in
Congress, he has won praise within the administration and beyond
for his determination to meet Syrian opposition leaders in a
hostile environment, and tough criticism of the Assad regime's
brutal military response to mass demonstrations.

Ford was greeted by demonstrators with roses and cheers when he
traveled to the restive city of Hama in July, prompting immediate
recriminations from the Syrian government, which tried to then
limit where Ford could travel. Only days later hundreds of regime
supporters attacked the U.S. Embassy in Damascus, smashing windows
and spray-painting obscenities on the walls.

Ford also has been the subject of several incidents of
intimidation by pro-government thugs, often in coordination with
pro-Assad media capturing the humiliation. Media reports said Ford
was hit with eggs and tomatoes while going to a mosque in Damascus.
Other such incidents have occurred after meetings with dissident
groups or individuals, and his postings on Facebook have provoked
thousands of Syrian and other responses, and even some death
threats from pro-Assad hardliners.

Haynes Mahoney, the embassy's deputy chief of mission, confirmed
that Ford has left Syria but said Washington hadn't not formally
recalled him - a symbolically significant diplomatic step.

Toner lamented that the threats deprived the United States of a
valuable emissary to the Syrian people at a time they face daily
violence from Assad's security forces. Clashes on Sunday saw forces
flood into villages where residents have been on strike and shoot
two people dead, according to activists.

President Barack Obama has called on the U.N. Security Council
to sanction Syria for using deadly violence against citizens who
are rising up against the authoritarian government there.

A seasoned diplomat with extensive Middle East experience, Ford
"has worked diligently to deliver our message and be our eyes on
the ground" in Syria, Toner said. "This decision was based solely
on the need to ensure his safety, a matter we take extremely
seriously."

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AP writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Albert Aji in Damascus,
Syria, contributed to this report.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)